Mapuche suspect on the run in southern Chile

FRIDAY, 05 APRIL 2013 14:20 | WRITTEN BY CHARLOTTE KARRLSSON-WILLIS

Emilio Berkhoff breaks house arrest, goes on the lam after investigators raid his home in Puerto Choque.

Emilio Berkhoff, suspected leader of a militant Mapuche group, became Chile’s newest fugitive Thursday adding another layer to an already complicated case.

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Mapuche suspect Emilio Berkhoff announced his fugitive status Thursday. Photo via Cooperativa / Facebook.

He announced his fugitive status to Radio Bío Bío shortly after Investigative Police (PDI) raided his home and the home of his mother Thursday morning, claiming the raids were part of a “conspiracy” by government officials against him.

According to Berkhoff’s defense lawyer, Jaime Pacheco, the PDI was searching for evidence for seven new charges relating to a fire and two aggravated robberies.

The Berkhoff case dates to early February when he was charged with possession of an illegal firearm after police found him with a handgun with a scratched out serial number and ammunition for several other weapons. Berkhoff is also wanted for an outstanding offense from 2010 in which he is suspected of breaking a police officer’s thumb during a Mapuche protest for indigenous land rights.

The Chilean government has paid particular attention to Berkhoff’s case, as they suspect him of being a leader of the Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco (CAM), a militant Mapuche nationalist organization.

Interior Minister Andrés Chadwick was outspoken when Berkhoff was first released on bail in February, calling the courts soft on crime. The Court of Appeals of Concepción then reversed its decision, thus revoking bail, only to later revert back to the original decision in March and release Berkhoff to house arrest.

Chadwick commented to local press Thursday that he is not surprised by Berkhoff’s actions, adding that innocent citizens do not run from the law.

“Those who act like this do so because they have done something, because people who have done nothing have no fear of going to court," Chadwick said.

This is not the first time that Berkhoff has been a fugitive from the law. He was wanted by police for seven months when he did not come forward to face the arms possession charge. His defense claimed he simply was unaware of the necessary court procedures.

Source: The Santiago Times

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